The Darling and Other Stories eBook

She sobbed bitterly, and he saw that she was hurt;
and not knowing what to say, dropped down on the carpet
before her.

“That’s enough; that’s enough,”
he muttered. “I insulted you because I
love you madly.” He suddenly kissed her
foot and passionately hugged it. “If only
a spark of love,” he muttered. “Come,
lie to me; tell me a lie! Don’t say it’s
a mistake! . . .”

But she went on crying, and he felt that she was only
enduring his caresses as an inevitable consequence
of her mistake. And the foot he had kissed she
drew under her like a bird. He felt sorry for
her.

She got into bed and covered her head over; he undressed
and got into bed, too. In the morning they both
felt confused and did not know what to talk about,
and he even fancied she walked unsteadily on the foot
he had kissed.

Before dinner Panaurov came to say good-bye.
Yulia had an irresistible desire to go to her own
home; it would be nice, she thought, to go away and
have a rest from married life, from the embarrassment
and the continual consciousness that she had done
wrong. It was decided at dinner that she should
set off with Panaurov, and stay with her father for
two or three weeks until she was tired of it.

XI

She travelled with Panaurov in a reserved compartment;
he had on his head an astrachan cap of peculiar shape.

“Yes, Petersburg did not satisfy me,”
he said, drawling, with a sigh. “They promise
much, but nothing definite. Yes, my dear girl.
I have been a Justice of the Peace, a member of the
local Board, chairman of the Board of Magistrates,
and finally councillor of the provincial administration.
I think I have served my country and have earned the
right to receive attention; but—­would you
believe it?—­I can never succeed in wringing
from the authorities a post in another town. . . .”

Panaurov closed his eyes and shook his head.

“They don’t recognise me,” he went
on, as though dropping asleep. “Of course
I’m not an administrator of genius, but, on the
other hand, I’m a decent, honest man, and nowadays
even that’s something rare. I regret to
say I have not been always quite straightforward with
women, but in my relations with the Russian government
I’ve always been a gentleman. But enough
of that,” he said, opening his eyes; “let
us talk of you. What put it into your head to
visit your papa so suddenly?”

“Well. . . . I had a little misunderstanding
with my husband,” said Yulia, looking at his
cap.

“Yes. What a queer fellow he is! All
the Laptevs are queer. Your husband’s all
right—­he’s nothing out of the way,
but his brother Fyodor is a perfect fool.”

Panaurov sighed and asked seriously:

“And have you a lover yet?”

Yulia looked at him in amazement and laughed.

“Goodness knows what you’re talking about.”

It was past ten o’clock when they got out at
a big station and had supper. When the train
went on again Panaurov took off his greatcoat and
his cap, and sat down beside Yulia.